Icycore are a new band on the Italian metal landscape and, like many of the newer bands coming from that country, have chosen a path that takes them far away from the typical clichéd Italian symphonic power metal. Rather, Icycore have chosen a sound that fits very comfortably into the wide open spaces of progressive metal, allowing them a great amount of room to explore their various musical ideas.

Citing influences like Dream Theater and Eldritch, Icycore plow through 68 minutes of visceral prog-metal and somehow manage to carve a sound of their own, despite the audible presence of their influences. The band’s trump card is vocalist Valerio Voliani, whose voice is clearly the showcase of the album. His soaring vocals are the first thing that strikes you about the album as soon as the opening title-track begins, and they are the last thing you remember once “Eternal Unlife” ends, an hour later. Mind you, the rest of the band are no slouches either, as any of them could share the stage with Dream Theater and easily hold their own.

It’s difficult picking favorites from an album as broad as WETWIRED, but the title track and the franticly heavy “The Net” manage to stand out from the rest, though there are no weak songs to be heard. This is simply cream-of-the-crop prog-metal that promises an extremely bright future for Icycore. To be sure, there are some moments that tend to drag on longer than needed, but overall this is a top-shelf debut, and an album that will be near the top of many prog-metal lists at the end of 2004.